Privacy Policy

The Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is committed to respecting the privacy of all individuals. This document outlines the standards for electronic data collection and use to ensure all members of the PIMS community and public understand and are comfortable with the stewardship of their privacy.

Email Addresses

Email addresses have been provided by the institution to all faculty and staff to allow them to perform their work and to students for the purpose of enhancing their pursuit of higher education. PIMS email addresses will not be disclosed to third parties for non-PIMS related business purposes. PIMS maintain the right to use these addresses to contact users for matters of emergency or significant importance to the PIMS community.PIMS may request non-PIMS email addresses only for the purposes that are clearly explained at the time of request. Email addresses will not be used outside of that context and will be kept in strictest confidence.

Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Where personal information is collected and then stored within PIMS electronic records systems, it will be collected in compliance with the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act). Personal Information collected is used only for the specific purpose it was collected, is disclosed only for the purpose it was collected and is kept only for the length of time required for that specific purpose.

Web Logs and Cookies

When visiting the PIMS website, data collected will not be used to identify individuals but the data collected will be used by PIMS to track behavior on our web site. This data is used only to provide statistical analysis of web site use for the purpose of improving the usefulness of the website. This data is available only to authorized individuals within the institution and is not given to any third party.When required, the website will send small bits of data known as Cookies that will help track users’ behavior as well as facilitate certain functions and behaviors on the website. Cookies do not contain personal information and are used only to enhance the user experience of the website.

Linking to Other Sites

Where required PIMS will link our website to other websites. The institute strives to ensure the accuracy of these linkages but PIMS is not responsible for the content on these external web sites, which may change without notice. PIMS is not responsible for content deemed offensive or for the privacy policies or statements in effect on outside websites.

Security of Data

PIMS maintains strict data security standards when asking for personal information. When required, credit card information is obtained only for the purpose of a specific transaction and is not stored within the PIMS systems. PIMS uses industry standard encryption with a signed web certificate to guarantee the safety of data.